The Home of Australian Craft Beer

The Crafty Dozen – November 2016

November 2nd, 2016, by Crafty Pint

The Crafty Dozen – November 2016

November 2nd, 2016, by Crafty Pint

Well, that took a little longer than expected... But we've now added another dozen breweries, venues and bottleshops to our various directories since the last roundup in July. Whenever we reach 12, we pull them all together into one place just like this in case you missed them when they were first added to the site; we wouldn't want you to miss out on any good times, after all.

This roundup is an East Coast focused affair, with the dozen drawn from Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria – plus our first online retailer. But, with another dozen waiting in the wings, look out for another article like this before the month is out that takes in Western Australia and Tasmania too.

The businesses you find in these directories pay a subscription to be featured on the site. Their support the main reason that The Crafty Pint is able to do what it does as we keep the editorial side of the site independent. This means no News or Feature story you read on the site is paid for, placed or sponsored, but is run because we believe it is worthy of telling. If you'd like to find out more about being listed in the directory and putting yourself in front of the largest audience in the Australian craft beer world, drop us a line to request a Media Kit.

West City Brewing, VIC – If ever a brewery would have been delighted to see the Western Bulldogs take out the AFL flag... West City Brewing is a gypsy operation based in Melbourne's West and it's fair to say its flagship Footscray Ale has been going well recently. Look out for a Sunshine Ale joining that and their stout.

Not Tonight, QLD – The Queensland beer scene has been burgeoning in recent years, with the Gold Coast really coming along in the past 12 months or so. One of the first venues to start offering good beer is Southport's Not Tonight, the sort of bar that wouldn't be out of place in a Melbourne laneway.

Hop Nation, VIC – Another brewing company that calls Melbourne's West home, Hop Nation started out as a gypsy operation founded by two winemakers before taking over a space in Footscray. Their beers operate both in and outside the realms of hop forward, while making your way to their well hidden home on a Friday or Saturday night is like chancing upon a warehouse party.

Clare Valley Brewing Co, SA – It was all change for Clare Valley earlier this year, as they unveiled a new look and tweaked their lineup under the guidance of a new head brewer they picked up from Little Creatures. And more change could follow as they look to develop a more expansive cellar door at their picturesque home they share with Jeanneret Wines.

Hops to Home, Online – They are quite a few businesses operating in the online retail arena these days, but none quite like Hops to Home. They focus on securing fresh kegs from a handful of local and international brewers each month, packaging them into CANimals and growlers and sending direct to customers.

Fury & Son, VIC – Reno "Fury" and Andrew "Son" Georgiou opened their brewery in Keilor Park earlier this year with a reigning Craft Beer Awards brewer at the helm, after tempting Craig Eulenstein from The Monk in WA. They launched with a New World Pilsner and American Pale (plus a seasonal Scotch Ale) and are set to follow with an IPA any day now.

The Public Brewery, VIC – If you build it, they will come. A former auction room and warehouse that was falling into disrepair was turned into the multi-faceted Public Brewery – brew-your-own, commercial brewery, bottleshop and restaurant – and has been tempting people to Croydon ever since. The owners have since opened the Cellar Door at Eastland and a larger production brewery in Warrandyte.

The Mill on Constance, QLD – A pair of Irish builders went into an old flour mill on the edge of Fortitude Valley to create some offices. They liked what they saw, took over the rest of the building and turned it into one of the best beer venues in Brisbane – and one of the most characterful anywhere in Australia, complete with bug-eyed dinosaur.

Slowbeer II, VIC – Technically, you could argue this Fitzroy venue is Slowbeer III as the first one moved from Hawthorn to Richmond a few years ago. Either way, it makes for two in existence now, taking the formula that's worked in Richmond across town but adding much more space to enjoy its selection on premise, including an upstairs pool table.

Hotel Lincoln, VIC – This classic inner Melbourne corner pub has long had an association with good beer, but since new owners took over that focus has increased. Now you'll find little other than independent Australian beer across its 12 taps, best enjoyed with high quality food coming from a team whose CVs include the likes of MoVida and Supernormal.

Amber Craft Beer, VIC – Good beer continues its steady incursion out from Melbourne's inner suburban heartlands, with Amber one of the latest to take up the cause. Its owner's mission is to share the knowledge and passion for quality beer he's amassed over years spent travelling to the beerier parts of the world – not to mention amateur brewing and beer judging.

Building upon their runaway success at in Croydon, the Public Brewery team has opened a second venue in a most unlikely spot: a shopping centre. The Cellar Door showcases local beer, wine and produce at Eastlands and could make mall shopping actually enjoyable.
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Plenty of new offers for Crafty Pint supporters this week, including some coming up this weekend. Updates on forthcoming events and a reminder that deadlines are approaching in some giveaways too.
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Greater awareness around coeliac disease and gluten intolerance is leading to more GF products hitting the market, including beers. As a new gluten free brewery in Victoria nears opening, we find out more from brewers and researchers.
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The Crafty Pint is an independent online magazine and resource for anyone interested in craft beer in Australia. We bring an honest, old-fashioned journalistic approach to beer's brave new world, telling stories because they're worth telling not because someone is paying us to write them.

Like many of the people who have changed the face of beer in Australia, we believe in authenticity, integrity, enjoyment and love. We hope to play a role in helping good beer, brewed by good people, find its way into the hands of more drinkers.